


The Bits in Between

by Athe13



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12878043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athe13/pseuds/Athe13
Summary: A peak into the life of the Doctor and Rose that happens when we're not watching. This is a series of connected ficlets inspired by the @doctorroseprompts 31 Days of Ficmas on tumblr.





	1. Hope Anew

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters are chronological and will not contain any episode rewrites. Any chapters set during episodes will be to revisit a specific aspect or further explore characters' emotions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor finds a hand to hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hope

The last of the Time Lords had managed to escape the great Time War in his lonely blue box doomed to wander the universe alone. After what he’d done he didn’t even deserve to be alive, and he certainly didn’t have the right to call himself the Doctor anymore. Doctors were supposed to heal people and he had committed genocide of not one but two races…and that was just counting the ones directly involved. He’d yet to see the full consequences of his actions, the likes of which had surely reverberated through all of time and space.

Yet somehow he had lived. Never in his life had he been more prepared to die, needing it even, but his stubborn body had managed to hold out long enough to regenerate. And now he was more alone than he had ever been and he supposed that was his penance for what had happened. Death would have been too merciful. He knew he would eventually have to face what he had done. The universe needed someone to put it back together, and as broken as he was, he was the only one equipped to do so. He wasn’t quite ready for that though, so he decided to set the TARDIS down on Earth. He had always held a fondness for this planet full of apes and all their cleverness. With Gallifrey now gone, he supposed it was the closest thing he had left to a homeworld. 

He planned on laying low for a while and letting himself start to mend before attempting to save anyone else, but as was typical for him it just wasn’t in the cards. Not two days after he landed he found himself in a fancy shop chasing down Autons. He just about finished laying his trap when the sound of a young worried voice broke through his concentration. 

A second or third shout of “Wilson!”, he wasn’t quite sure which, rang through the air, this time sounding a bit more frantic. He turned back to the device he'd been building, giving it one last good sonic before slipping his faithful screwdriver back into the pocket of his leather coat. He rushed over to see how his disruptive interloper was fairing and made it just in time to see a blonde girl in a pink hoodie being backed into the corner by a horde of animated shop dummies. As their apparent leader raised a plastic hand threateningly above her head the Doctor sprung into action. He could see the surprise and relief in her eyes when he grabbed her wrist and told her to run. 

* * *

The next day, as he stood there holding her hand in his and explaining how he could feel the turn of the Earth, hope began to blossom in his chest.


	2. Adventures on Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor takes Rose ice skating on Woman Wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ice Skating

The Doctor’s voice rang out through the TARDIS, somehow magically amplified so that she could hear it despite the fact that she was buried deep inside the wardrobe room. A week on the ship—or at least she thought it had been about a week—and she was still being surprised at every turn by its unique capabilities. 

“Rose hurry it up, we’ve arrived!”

She was rummaging through the racks of clothes looking for a coat to wear. The Doctor promised it would be cold where they were going so her usual hoodie wouldn’t do. Finding a red coat that would fit her frame and tastes she headed toward the console room, smiling despite her annoyance as he called out for her again. 

“Ya know, for someone who owns a time-ship you certainly are impatient.” His head jerked up ready to retort, but her signature tongue-toothed grin was waiting to let him know it was just a jest. 

He decided to return in kind as he fiddled with one last lever on the console. “‘Bout time you made it out here. Come on then, let’s take a look.” He held his hand out as he rounded the console, a gesture that was finally feeling familiar after traveling together for the last several days. 

Little did she know that the Doctor had been feeling particularly guilty about the adventures he had taken her on thus far. Traveling with him was always a bit jeopardy friendly, but he’d been cruel to her as well without even realising it. His world had just ended when they met and the first trip he took Rose on was to see hers burn. He hadn’t done it on purpose of course, but looking back it was hard not to see the subconscious meaning behind his actions. After that she was kidnapped and nearly turned into a zombie, having to watch their new friend sacrifice herself so they might live. And then he’d mucked up her first trip home returning her a year past due because he was too daft to get his driving right. All in all he felt he owed her at least one nice, problem free trip. 

“Rose Tyler, would you like to do the honours?” The Doctor gestured magnificently to the TARDIS doors with his free hand. With a grin she thrust open the doors and took a tentative step outside. She was awestruck. Waves taller than buildings were frozen mid-peak and towering over them from a distance. 

“This planet is called Woman Wept. One day the oceans froze in the matter of an instant all because of a sudden reversal of solar polarity that went a bit wrong.”

“Why’s it called Woman Wept?”

The look of astonishment on her face was one of the main reasons he liked traveling with companions. It helped him appreciate all the wondrous places and things he got to see. “Their main land mass is shaped like a woman lamenting.” The Doctor jolted like he’d just remembered something. “Hold that thought for just a mo’. I’ll be right back.” Rose spared him a glance as he disappeared back into the TARDIS before returning her gaze to the icy wonderland before her. It was almost terrifying despite how beautiful it was.

When he reemerged a moment later, she felt a string with two heavier objects draped across her right shoulder. Looking down she saw they were a pair of ice skates. She gave him a quizzical look, but despite her surprise it was pretty easy to put together what he had planned. She let him lead her to the water’s edge. Here the frozen water was shallow and smooth, stretching out more than ten metres before it started gradually inclining up and into the first wave. The pair of them sat down in the cold sand, and Rose traded her trainers for a pair of ice skates. They hobbled awkwardly the last few steps to the ice, hand in hand laughing at their own clumsiness. As soon as they hit the ice, matching grins broke out on their faces. The Doctor gave her a little twirl before sending her off, giving her the freedom to move about as she pleased.

She skated off on her own for a while, delighted at the openness this location allowed rather than being confined to the rink near the estates back home. Realising she’d completely left the Doctor behind in her excitement, Rose spun around and headed back in his direction. 

“Well, I’ll give you this Doctor. This is certainly a better date than the last one you took me on,” she teased. 

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?” 

The indignant look on his face was enough to make an even larger grin break out across hers. “Well, for starters at least I’m not having to pay for the chips this time. Right cheap date you are.” His scowl was almost enough to make her regret the jab, but as she came around for a second pass his arm shot out to grab hers. She might have lost her balance, but the Doctor’s other hand came out to steady her before leading her off across the ice. 

“I’ll have you know, Rose. I can’t very well be running across the universe with money from every planet—even my pockets aren’t that big. It’s not my fault you apes haven’t started accepting universal credit sticks yet. All of time and space and you’re complaining because you had to buy a basket of chips.” 

“A bit touchy aren’t ya?” She pulled him along as she raced off across the ice, hoping to leave their fake argument behind them.

An hour in and her feet had started to get tired. She never did have the strongest ankles. Angling herself back toward the sand, she half-sat half-fell on the cool shore. Leaning back on her elbows it was easy to get lost in the expanse laid out before her. The Doctor followed after her when he realised she was taking a break. As he sat down beside her, Rose turned to look at him with a serious look on her face. 

“Really though, Doctor. Thank you for bringing me here. It’s absolutely gorgeous.” A huge smile lit up her face and the Doctor had never been more relieved that he’d gotten the destination right.


	3. Chocolate Warms the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose indulge in some hot cocoa after their trip to Woman Wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hot Chocolate

The Doctor and Rose piled back into the TARDIS eager to warm up for a bit. It did not escape his attention that the human was shivering. Sometimes his superior biology made him woefully ignorant of the needs of his human companions. He would need to remember to be more mindful of that going forward. He had ensured she retrieved a heavier coat before they explored the frozen planet, but apparently they stayed outside longer than they should have. 

“Rose, why don’t you go change and have a warm shower. There’ll a hot cuppa waiting for you when you’re out.” 

Rose’s cheeks and nose were red from the cold as she shrugged out of her outer layers. She paused looking unsure before finally saying what was on her mind. “Actually Doctor, there wouldn’t happen to be any hot chocolate on board would there? It’s just that…well, my mom would always make us some after she took me down to the local rink. Sort of a winter treat for the two of us.” 

Taking in her ducked head and cheeks that had reddened even more—obviously not just from the cold then—the doctor could tell this was a big deal for her for whatever reason. What bothered him more was that she clearly felt hesitant asking for it. He wasn’t sure why but it was a simple enough request. He put on his best grin, the one he was sure made his face look even more daft than usual. “Easy enough! Two hot chocolates coming right up. Now off you go.” 

Rose’s face lit up as she headed down the hall to her room. The Doctor hadn’t indulged in hot cocoa in a couple of regenerations, but it was something he’d been quite fond of in some of his earlier bodies. Time to see how this one felt about it.


	4. Purple People Eaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Rose land on the wrong planet and their choice of fashion lands them in some trouble. This time, it's the Doctor's fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ginger

The TARDIS had landed them on the small planet of Frenzia, which was apparently right in the midst of a civil war. Not at all their desired destination. Almost immediately upon exiting the blue police box the pair of travellers were surrounded by a group of beings covered in strawberry blonde fur. The Doctor’s maroon jumper was stirring up quite a commotion, but that was no matter. It was nothing a little psychic paper couldn’t fix, or at least it should have been. It seemed the Doctor had miscalculated. The paper was displaying adequate credentials but was apparently lacking context. It was assumed the Doctor and Rose were operating for the enemy and they were promptly whisked away for interrogation.

“Of course your jumper would be the wrong colour,” Rose huffed from beside him as they were being led down a long corridor. He spared a glare in her direction while he mentally catalogued everything along their route. One of the guards deposited them in some sort of holding room, locking the door behind him as he left. With a stroke of luck they hadn’t even been handcuffed.

“Another day another jail, ay Doctor?” Rose asked as she began poking around their cell. “Have you still got the sonic?”

He patted his coat pocket to indicate its location. “Yes, still here. We got rather lucky this time. No cuffs, no pilfering through my pockets, and they were even so kind as to put us in a cell together. Why Rose Tyler, I almost hate to say it, but I think today might just be our lucky day.”

“Right. You consider landing on the wrong planet in the middle of a war our lucky day? I think you need to reconsider your definition of luck.”

“I promised you Barcelona and you’ll get to see it yet, but in the meantime let’s focus on getting out of here.” He whipped the sonic screwdriver out with a flourish and began tinkering around with the jamb of the door. The history lesson started rolling off his tongue, accompanying his movement like it was second nature. “This planet typically experiences an unusually high level of peace, at least among their own kind. Off-world trouble does always seem to turn up eventually. They’re having a bit of a disagreement right now, but that’ll be over within a year’s time. You see, despite getting along, the two main races remained rather separated. They’ve evolved for different climates so they’re just more comfortable on their home turf. However, as the planet’s climate keeps shifting more and more people want to spread out into new lands. An important political marriage was set to take place a month a go, a representation of a perfect blending, but a small faction of purists broke it off using coercive tactics and the whole planet erupted into chaos.”

“What’s that got to do with us though, Doctor? Something to do with your shirt, yeah?”

“Well, as you can see everyone we’ve run into so far looks about the same. Relatively humanoid in shape but covered in a thick layer of light reddish-brown hair. The other side is hairless—that’s from head to toe mind you—and their skin is a shade of purple. Even though we’re obviously not from this planet, they took the colour of my jumper to mean I was on the other side.”

“So you mean to tell me this all comes down to a quarrel between some gingers and a bunch of Purple People Eaters?” Just then the door clicked open and the Doctor made his way slowly into the hall.

“Oi, don’t be rude. Besides always wanted to be a ginger, me. Haven't gotten the chance yet, but that's just the luck of the draw I suppose.” The Doctor didn’t miss the strange look Rose gave him and was reminded of the fact that they really should have a conversation about regeneration sometime. Likely he wouldn’t go through another one until long after she stopped traveling with him, but one couldn’t be too careful with the kind of life he led.

Suddenly Rose was grabbing his jacket and speaking in a hushed voice. “Doctor, look.” He followed her finger to a guard walking their way from the other entrance. In a fraction of a second he calculated the time it would take them to get to a small side hallway a few metres in front of them. They could definitely make it before the guard did.

“Best get to runnin’, Rose.” He grabbed her hand and like that they were off.


	5. Candy Canes and Hospitals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the Doctor and Rose's adventure on Frenzia. They get separated and then Rose sees a new side of the Doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Candy canes

Rose walked briskly down the street looking for any sign of the Doctor. The two of them had gotten separated after they escaped from the interrogation area. Once they had cleared the building, they were spotted by more guards and were forced to split up or be captured. She spent some time ducking down a few side streets and hiding in the shadows before she was finally able to lose them. By that point she was far enough away from the original action that people stopped recognising her. She thankfully wasn’t wearing clothes that attracted any negative attention, so without the Doctor it seemed she was perfectly non-threatening. The trick now was how to get back to the TARDIS. It was close enough to the base that it would be hard to get in unseen. She kept hoping she would run into the Doctor so they could figure it out together. She quickly turned another corner and almost ran straight into a giant candy cane.

“What the…” That was the third one she’d seen since she started wandering around. Surely this planet didn’t celebrate something similar to Christmas. There also didn’t seem to be any festivities going on. A loud noise disrupted her train of thought. Putting that aside for now, she listened closely for the noise she just heard to sound again. There it was, the sound of a commotion in the distance. Where there was trouble she would surely find the Doctor. She sped off, following the sounds of shouting. Peering around a corner she was finally able to make out the situation. There appeared to be someone laying in the street injured and the Doctor was working frantically over them with the sonic while a small crowd of onlookers watched. Rose deemed it safe enough to come forward. As she walked closer she could see that the person had been shot with something, though it didn’t look like a regular bullet. They were in pain but the shot had gone through their leg, so they would most likely be okay.

Rose leaned closer to she could speak to him in a whisper. “Doctor is it safe for you to be out in the open like this?” 

He looked up briefly from his work to confirm what his big ears had already told him. “Kind of you to join us, Rose. I’m just getting them patched up and then we can be on our way back to the TARDIS.”

“But Doctor, what about your jumper?” She couldn’t help but be a little worried. Surely everyone must be as sensitive to the colour, unless they just had the misfortune to run into a particularly alarmed group of Frenzians.

“All taken care of.” 

Not knowing if he meant their situation or his patient, she backed up to give the Doctor space as he stood up from his work. He reached down to help lift his patient up, throwing a hairy arm over his shoulder to help support a good potion of the weight. When he straightened to his full height Rose finally noticed that he’d removed his jumper entirely and his leather coat now hung open on his bare chest. She could only hope she managed to mask the surprise that washed over her features before he had a chance to notice. The Doctor was fit and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. 

“Rose, want to give us a hand. We’re looking for a medical clinic. Should have a red and white striped cane out in front.”

“Oh, that’s what all those candy canes are for. They’re a sign for a doctor?” At the Doctor’s nod she continued, “I’ve seen loads of ‘em. Follow me.” She led him and their new charge to the last one she’d seen, which thankfully was only a block and a half away. Once inside, they got the Frenzian settled in with one of the local physicians.

“Thank you, Doctor. Not many off-worlders would help me the way you did.” 

“You’re very welcome, now stay off that leg!” Never ones to stick around after their part was done the Doctor and Rose made their exit.

* * *

The journey back to the TARDIS had gone better than expected. With the offending jumper out of site, the pair were able to slip back on board without a hitch. It seemed the guard were still out scouring the city for their lost prisoners and since no one had seen exactly where they came from when they first landed the time-ship was unguarded.

Once safely in the TARDIS Rose finally asked the question that had been bothering her for the last hour…well the only safe question at least. “So candy canes?”

The Doctor started moving around the console, switching levers and pushing buttons. He was eager to get them back into the vortex. “Ah well, they’re candy canes to you, but they mean something else entirely on Frenzia. Think of them more like barber shop poles. They’re used to mark medical clinics around towns. Especially important in the middle of a war, don’t you think?”

Rose nodded. “It’s a shame we couldn’t do more for them. ’S horrible such a peaceful planet is being driven apart like this.” Another reason he liked having her around. She was nothing if not compassionate.

“Oh, they’ll be alright soon enough. I know it looks grim now, but as far as wars go theirs is pretty humanitarian. They have strict rules protecting innocents. That’s why clinics are so well-marked. They’re safe spaces where anyone from either side can be treated and kept from harm.”

Not quite placated, but relived to hear some positive news Rose let the conversation trail off naturally from there. ”At least there’s that then”. She was absolutely knackered and ready for a bath. As she looked down to survey the damage, she finally noticed the dried blood trailing down the leg of her jeans. Not hers thankfully. 

“Alright, well I’m off to find myself a fresh jumper. Think this ones going to be out of rotation for a little while.” At the mention of the Doctor’s jumper, or lack thereof, Rose flushed. Thankfully his back was already turned as he headed down the hall.

This was going to take some getting use to.

 


	6. You Reap What You Sew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during events of Father's Day - a brief insight into the Doctor's thoughts. It begins after the Doctor takes Rose's TARDIS key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bells

The Doctor was livid. All of time and space and he had to take her back to this very moment. The one moment where she was almost guaranteed to muck it all up. She was only human after all, and the temptation of altering your own timeline was hard to resist. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with, but he had been trained. He knew the risks far outweighed any benefits, but Rose was just acting on instincts. Really he was more angry at himself than he was with her, but it was a lesson she needed to learn. He’d taken her key and left her back at the church. Though her jab definitely hit him where he was most sensitive, he certainly wasn’t going to leave her stranded in 1987. Even if he actually wanted to it would wreak havoc on the timelines. He just needed some time to cool off and let her sweat it out for a bit. 

His big angry strides carried him across the intersection, not noticing the car that had already made a pass around the block before disappearing into thin air. The TARDIS was just up ahead tucked in the alleyway. He rounded the final corner, slipped Rose’s key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock. When he opened the doors the TARDIS was empty inside. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It just wasn’t possible. Unless…

“Rose!” He slammed the doors shut just as the church bells toned in the distance. From the other direction a jarring screech curled its way through the air. Like a shot the Doctor sprinted to the end of the alley to look for the source of that terrible cry. To the South he could just make out a creature swooping through the sky. A reaper. Wasting no more time he ran back toward the church, desperately hoping to come up with some sort of plan to save them all.


	7. Mysteries Abound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set during The Empty Child. Jack finally makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Ring

As soon as the disconnected phone on the TARDIS started ringing, the Doctor knew they were in big trouble. He also knew he was hopelessly intrigued by the mystery it presented. Peripherally aware that Rose had wandered off again, he couldn’t help himself from following the strange girl who seemed to have all the answers. He would run into Rose eventually, she was a magnet for trouble.

* * *

He soon found out that Rose had been solving a mystery of her own in the form of a handsome young conman. Trouble magnet indeed. Though he supposed he couldn’t be too put out by it. She had brought him a major clue to the riddle he’d been working on all night. Though he could do with a little less flirting.


	8. Everybody Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place toward the end of the Doctor Dances and takes a deeper look into some of the Doctor's feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Snowflakes

One minute the Doctor was cursing Jack Harkness’ very existence and the next he was sure he could kiss the man, not that he’d ever admit it to that shameless flirt. Grateful that his efforts to guilt the conman into doing the right thing had come to fruition, the Doctor was more than pleased to see the bomb suspended in stasis just above their heads. Hoping beyond hope that his intuition would be right just once more tonight, he gathered the nanogenes in his hands and hurled them toward the group of remaining patients in a storm of sentient golden snowflakes. 

He might have done so with more flourish than was strictly necessary, admittedly showing off for his companion. The smile on his face flickered briefly as he chased that thought through his head. He did have a tendency to show off to his companions, and it was arguably hard not to since more often than not they were humans with little to no off-world experience. Still, something wasn’t quite sitting right. Undoubtedly it had to do with Rose's recent influx of pretty boys tagging along on their adventures and her need for “some Spock” as she'd called it. 

His wide grin returned as the nanogenes visibly began to heal the other gas mask victims. He decided he could revisit that errant thought later if need be, but for now—just this once—everybody would live. And he said as much to Rose and anyone else who was willing to listen. Despite his best efforts, he so rarely seemed to get days like this in his travels and certainly none since the Time War. This was a win he desperately needed and for once he allowed himself to be thoroughly consumed by it, his past transgressions momentarily forgotten.


	9. Dancing on Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set at the end of the Doctor Dances, this time exploring Rose's feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lights

The lights of the console room were dimmed casting the space in twilight. Jack had been safely retrieved just in the knick of time and was more than grateful to have been welcomed aboard the ship by his two lovely rescuers. After playing coy for a while and not wanting to risk a cut-in, the Doctor had finally ‘remembered’ how to dance. Rose was frankly surprised but thrilled to find that he wasn’t half bad. After a few laps around the console and fanciful twirl, she felt herself being tipped backwards into an impressive dip. She tilted her head back smiling expecting Jack to come into her view but he wasn’t there anymore. Confused, she looked around for him as her world returned to the proper orientation. She met his eyes on the other side of the room just in front of the exit that would lead deeper into the TARDIS.

“Jack, where’re you goin’? Dancing suddenly not your thing anymore?” 

“As much as I’d love to cut in, I can tell when three’s a crowd.” He gave her a wink and turned to finish his retreat. It took a moment for Rose to understand what he meant, but then it clicked and suddenly the Doctor’s arms around her felt a lot heavier than they had a moment ago. He’d already slowed their movements during the exchange, so it wasn’t a total surprise when he let his arms drop completely. Rose took the opportunity to take a subtle step back to put some distance between them and hopefully hide the slight flush she could feel dusting her face. It was obvious Jack thought there was something going on between them. 

“Don’t think I’m going to let a conman go wandering ‘round my ship on his own the first night he’s on board. You may have proven yourself today, Captain, but don’t think I’ve suddenly forgotten your nature. C'mon Rose, let's give him the grand tour.” Either the Doctor had chosen to ignore the implications of Jack’s words and get out of the awkward situation, or he couldn’t be bothered by them in the first place because there wasn’t any truth to it. She wasn’t sure which one she preferred.


	10. Peace in the Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor reflects on the new TARDIS dynamics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Peace

After the initial growing pains of integrating a new companion into the TARDIS dynamics, the ships’ occupants had fallen into a happy rhythm surprisingly quick. Jack though a bit of a sexual deviant proved to be quite useful when things got dodgy. Thanks to his quick thinking and his advanced knowledge of spacecraft he was actually shaping up to be quite the asset. His flirting, though still overt, had taken on a relatively harmless quality. That said, the Doctor didn’t doubt for one minute that the man would take him or Rose up on it instantly should either or both of them offer. The sense of peace that followed their lively adventures was now threaded by the occasional raucous night out for Jack and Rose, lively dinners shared by the three of them, and rescuing Jack from the repercussions of the occasional sex scandal. Though the Doctor missed the quiet moments he and Rose used to share more frequently, he couldn’t bring himself to resent this new development. The unique but similarly carefree attitudes of his two companions certainly lightened his hearts.


	11. Kiss Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is frustrated by the chastity of his shipmates and doesn't mind teasing them about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mistletoe

“Doctor, I don’t care what you say. I’ve seen plenty of mistletoe in my day and this is mistletoe—no matter what they call it on this planet.” Jack was holding an innocuous little sprig of a plant over the Doctor’s head, angling for a kiss. So far the Doctor had not gone for it. Finally giving up and feigning disappointment, Jack turned his attentions to the more amenable of his two friends.

“Rosie, you won’t leave me hanging will you?” He gave her his best puppy dog eyes as he turned the mistletoe in her direction. Rose merely rolled her eyes at her amorous friend before planting a big wet kiss on his cheek. 

“Wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for…” Jack trailed off with a waggle of his eyebrows. “But I’ll take it.” 

Rose laughed at that. “You better take what you can get, mister! I’m no cheap date that can be won over by a piece of tree parasite, no matter how much it’s been romanticized.” She let the tip of her tongue sneak out past her grin. Jack bowed with a flourish, appearing properly chastised, before sauntering back over to the Doctor. 

“And how about a kiss for the Doctor, oh Lord of Time?” The Doctor’s attention was suddenly brought back to the conversation. He thought he’d gotten himself out of this whole mess. He went to say as much but suddenly Rose’s tinkling laughter was right next to his ear. She pressed her lips to his cheek for a quick kiss, much more reserved than the one she’d just bestowed upon Jack. Nonetheless, the look on the Doctor’s face had made all of his teasing worthwhile.


End file.
